Great shop! they helped us find the right board and wetsuits, and met me at my price pointread more

Such cool and friendly guys running the shop. Helped with parking and they have cool stuff there…read more Highly recommend!

Came into the store for my very first surfboard. I was unsure of which models were better than…read moreothers, but thankfully Christie was kind enough to help me out and pick out the best one for me. She was really knowledgeable of the store and the brand. Her kindness and professionalism has created a very welcoming experience for me, and I would definitely recommend her service for future visits.

Nice small shop with parking on the side and at the back…read more Came in on a cloudy day so it was quiet. They have a promo going on - 2 pcs swim wear + slippers or hat for $99. It's a great deal! The young lady was helpful. I like the area because it's on the way to the pleasure point and it's near the other shops, restaurants and coffee shop that I go to.

I just want to say what an amazing experience I had with purchasing my Starboard paddle board from…read moreCovewater Paddle Surf. Olivier was extraordinarily helpful in finding me a board and working on getting it delivered to the East coast. He carefully wrapped the board and it arrived here in perfect shape. I am now on my board almost everyday and I am in heaven every time I step on this board..aka Stella Bella Starboard. I would recommend Covewater Paddle surf to everyone and a special thanks to Olivier!!

I booked a private SUP surf lesson with Olivier and had a great experience. Olivier is incredibly…read moreknowledgable and an excellent instructor. He tailored the equipment and location to my skill level and we had an epic session where I learned more in 2 hours than I had in years of paddle surfing. Olivier uses headset technology that allows him to communicate with you throughout the session - it was amazing. Book a lesson with Oliver and you will level up immediately. Plus you'll have a ton of fun!

I have to say, the guy who runs this shop knew me better than I knew myself: He suggested a 9-ft…read more hard board with a little less width and float than I was used to. I hesitated and was leaning towards a more expensive board with more volume, but he assured me that after a few sessions I'd dial it in. Now, 5-6 sessions later I love the board he suggested. I don't know what's up with the negative reviews about consignment, but as a buyer I loved this place.

Gordon is a nice guy. Carries a wide range of boards. Large selection of Vernor boards.read more

I've rented SUP boards from here several times and always had a good experience. Trudie is helpful…read moreand friendly, making sure I get the right kind of board and advising me on the conditions. I would just say I haven't tried the lessons or kayak rentals from SUP Shack so I can't comment on those.

I have a few pieces of advice for people who are considering renting a paddle board and going to…read morethe Santa Cruz Harbor. The yelp page says "The Santa Cruz Harbor location is the best place to get on the water to learn stand up paddle board." I have paddle boarded a few times, and I know the basics. However, my experience with the harbor is that it is not friendly for beginners, or even somewhat experienced paddlers, let alone complete novices. I've paddle boarded a few times. When I went here, I have complimentary access, and a person was assigned to go with me on another board. That was a good idea. However, I did not have prior knowledge of the Santa Cruz harbor where we were going, and so went into the session unaware of many big pieces of information that I felt were important. I was not given any knowledge of what to expect with paddle boarding in the harbor - how to deal with various obstacles, what route I would be taking, and so was taking live direction from the owner along with my companion for about 5 minutes, and later was following the companion. I was given some small amount of instruction about the basics of paddle boarding - I had paddle boarded before, but did not know many skills, and then was sent on my way in a narrow harbor with docks and boats on each side, and boats coming and going through the harbor. I believe the harbor itself requires at least an intermediate level of paddle boarding skills - muscle power, techniques, stamina, and knowledge of best practices with encountering boats, at minimum. I learned this in real time, and it was very challenging. Also, staying straight in the harbor requires constant paddling - it is relatively narrow, with boats on each side, and incoming and outgoing boats. At least the time that we went, we could not even take a break from paddling when going against the tide to return back. If we took a few seconds break, we risked drifting to the side and hitting a docked boat and falling off. At one point my companion took off, and I was struggling to do a mandatory U-turn to head back. I hit the harbor wall and fell off. Falling off happens, I understand, but it was a big challenge to get back on, I had to crawl on the bit of outcrop to do it. Later, I hit a docked boat and was knocked off. I was in the water, unable to get back onto my board - it requires an incredible amount of core muscle power (I don't think it's an exaggeration to say that it's nearly impossible). So I held onto the dock to try to crawl up. I felt a shock, twice - it turns out the dock's renter had put electrical wire on it to prevent sea lions from jumping into their boats. I was barely able to then muscle up and get back onto my board. Then, I found my companion and we were nearing the original spot, when a big boat was coming towards us. When you're on a paddle board, boats do not move for you, at least from what I saw. Our instinct was to go to the big dock, then the boat driver yelled out they were docking, at the spot we were trying to go to. So after some stressful, fast, strong, paddling we were able to get out of the way. I share this because I want to show the reality of paddle boarding in this area. It can be incredibly strenuous, and at times stressful. If you decide to use this rental business, at the very least ask the owner what exactly you can expect (because it wasn't disclosed). You need to be an intermediate or higher paddleboarding. I am a decent, sufficient paddle boarder, but this area is quite high level and should be strictly only open to higher levels. In conclusion, I don't recommend paddle boarding as a beginner or learning to paddle board in the Santa Cruz Harbor. This area appears to require a lot of experience.

Had a beginner group lesson today and the entire experience exceeded my expectations! Selah was…read moreour instructor and she was fantastic. She helped us understand many aspects of beginning surfing without making it overwhelming. Our group was at Cowell's Beach and the tide/swell was perfect for a beginner day. There were others in the water with us (not from our class) but Selah was expert at helping us to pick our line. The day couldn't have gone better. For a first-time beginner, I highly recommend this school!

I have been wanting to try surfing for the longest time and finally gathered up my courage to do it…read moreyesterday. Richie was so awesome, assured me that I could do it and kept encouraging and helping me to catch the waves. I was about to give up after a few tries when I rode my first one. I didn't expect that on my first lesson, as I never swim in the ocean before so it has been a euphoric experience. Still smiling when I think about it. Thank you Richie for making my dream come true! Definitely will get a lesson from Richie again if I'm in the area again.

I love Noland's because they have some of the best Santa Cruz gear sold here. They keep up with…read moretrends and have the coolest designs. I have 4-5 of their sweatshirts and a couple of their long sleeves that ive been wearing for years! They have good quality bathing suits, shorts, hoodies, sunglasses, back packs, basically everything you'd need for a good beach day and some afternoon fun in the sun. The people that work here are super welcoming and nice giving this place a local beach town feel. I love it! This place is rad! The owners are really good people!! You can tell that they really love their community.

There are usually a group of items on a sale rack outside with some pretty good discounts…read more Sometimes you see the same items on the rack if you return after a few weeks. The store is convenient to go to when you are at the beach, and they have a nice selection of different brands of clothing, with many different choices--shirts,hoodies and more--that say Santa Cruz on them ( the city, not the company). A lot of the designs are really attractive. The sales staff is considerate enough to remind you that sale items are final sale. Overall a pleasant place to shop.

Sweet beach boutique across the street from Cowell's Beach, and nextdoor to The Picnic Basket…read more Most (if not all?) of their clothing is branded with "Santa Cruz" on it. Think sweatshirts, hoodies, t-shirts, and more - exactly what we were looking for. They have quite the variety. My guy got the classic black Santa Cruz hoodie. I went for a simpler cropped cream sweatshirt. Prices were reasonable; I think my sweatshirt cost around $40. They also sell other gifty/souvenir-type items: stickers, jewelry, beach toys. Definitely stop in if you're in town.

Why have listed hours if they are never accurate?? Super frustrating & will take my business to the…read moreother 10 places within 1/2 a mile that sell the same things.